- Applications must be received by Elections Canada in Ottawa before 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) or by the local Elections Canada office before 6:00 p.m. (Atlantic Time) on Tuesday, May 7, 2013. Electors may mail, fax or take their application in person to any Elections Canada office.

- Once an application is approved, the elector is issued a voting kit with full instructions and a special ballot. The ballot must be received at Elections Canada in Ottawa before 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on election day, May 13, 2013. Electors voting by special ballot in their own riding must ensure that their special ballot is returned to the local Elections Canada office before the polls close locally.

"We encourage Canadians around the world to pick up an application for the mail-in special ballot, now available at any Canadian diplomatic or consular office, or download the form from our website," says Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand.